Secrets and Countries
by Krawrz
Summary: Romano, or to most people, Lovino Vargas finally has a chance to visit his home, but he gets sucked into the world of Templars and Assassins. And a conspiracy that threatens him and his brother
1. Unexpected encounter

Romano was walking through the streets of Rome, Spain had let him visit his home and visit his stupid, but lovable little brother. He had a guard as an escort although the guard had no idea he was escorting the personification of the southern Italy. A lot has been happening, a group of assassins threatened the pope and his family. From what Romano had heard it's been dangerous for anyone close to the Borgia to wander around without any protections. Those assassins seem to only want to cause trouble.

"Why is something always wrong here, why can't those stupid assassins go to France or something," Romano huffed. The streets were crowded with people. "And why do I have to have a guard? It's not like those assassinos are going to attack a little kid, I'm fine on my own!"

His escort rolled his eyes, he had no clue why he was protecting a child either. He was a trained guard, he even protected the pope at one point! Now he was stuck with a brat. He wasn't one to question his orders though.

Despite Romano's words, the little Italian was actually enjoying his time here. He haven't been in Rome in a while. He didn't care much for the Assassins, as long as he didn't run into one.

The young Italian nation was exploring the countryside with his silent escort in tow when a familiar accent startled him in his tracks.

"ohononon~ Bonjour~" Romano stared in shock at a French soldier flirting with an flushed Italian woman, a few more soldiers in similar armor flirted with girls nearby.

"What!? Why are French soldiers here!?" Romano shouted.

"Ceasare Borgia has connections in France, he requested reinforcements to combat the Assassino issue," his escort explained, a little surprised a child would care about such things.

"I need to talk to the pope!" Romano broke into a run, leaving his escort behind.

* * *

><p>"Wait! Lovino!" His escort yelled after him. He hurried to catch up, but the kid was fast when he had a goal.<p>

Romano pushed his way through the crowded streets. He hated and feared the French, they only wanted to take over him and his brother. Why would the pope allow them in his country!? Romano ran head first into someone.

"Umph!" The young Italian landed hard on his rear. His amber eyes looked up to glare at his roadblock. A hooded figure stared down at him with a small, apologetic smile.

"Mi dispiace, little one, I should've watched where I was going," he said warmly.

"Si, you should've. Now get out of my way, I have somewhere to be," Romano attempted to push the stranger to the side.

The stranger stopped him, "you're not wandering the streets all by yourself, are you?"

Romano searched his immediate surroundings, finally noticing he had lost his escort. "I guess I am, but I can take care of myself!"

The stranger chuckled at the kid's pride, he looked no older than 10. "What about I walk you to your destinations, there can be a lot of dangerous people in this city."

"Fine," Romano agreed with a little hesitation. He gave it some thought, if the Borgia feared the assassins so much they called reinforcements from France then they must be a scary threat. Nonetheless, he's going to have a serious talk with the pope. And since he lost his guard, this guy seemed like suitable replacement.

"Bene, my name is Ezio Auditore de Firenze," Ezio introduced himself.

"Lovino Vargas."

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN: Okay this is just a little prologue, I was inspired by another ACHetalia crossover, but that one has yet to get pass the first chapter. I really love the thought of this crossover and I have been really obsessed with AC and Hetalia lately. So what did you guys think? Another chapter, maybe? :3**_

_**Please review! 3**_

_**AC and hetalia characters belong to their respective owners! **_

**_Translations!_**

**_Bonjour = hello_**

**_Mi dispiace = I'm sorry_**

**_Si = yes_**

**_Bene = good_**


	2. Italians

"So where are you heading?" Ezio inquired.

"That's none of your business," Romano responded stubbornly.

An amused smile played on Ezio's lips. Lovino seemed different than most other kids his age. Ezio had a feeling that there's more to this child than what meets the eye. The young Italian strutted around the city like he owned it, weaving through the buildings like he knew Rome like the back of his hand.

"Who are you really anyways? No random citizen carries around weapons or wears clothes like that. And you can't be working for the Borgia, you're not wearing the right armor." Romano glared suspiciously at his companion. This guy was weird, Romano should've thought more thoroughly about befriending this guy. He was too caught up in the conversation he was going to have with the Borgia.

"You are right I'm not just any citizen of Rome nor do I work for the Borgia. I'm just someone who wants to do what he can for all of Italy." Romano huffed at the response, but didn't pushed the subject further.

Ezio froze when he saw the young nation's destination. It was Castel Sant'Angelo! What connection did this child have to the Borgia? Guards protected the bridges leading into the secure building, it will be difficult for him to sneak in without being recognized. But now he had to find out what Lovino had to do with this.

"Only cardinals and people close to the Borgia are allowed in here, so this is where we say our goodbyes. Grazie for walking with me," Romano's tone suggested that he wasn't really all that grateful.

Ezio hid his thoughts with a smirk, "it was my pleasure."

One of the guards sneered down at the small boy, "where do you think you're going, brat?"

"Che? I am Lovino Vargas, let me through, I have to talk with the Borgia now!" Romano growled at the guard. Ezio couldn't hold in a surprised chuckle as the guard immediately straightened and let Lovino through.

"Stupid bastards, who do they think they are?" The little Italian grumbled under his breath. Romano studied the high walls and the amount of guards, there was no way any assassinos would even think of trying to break in. As soon as he entered the main building he was tackled hard.

"Fratello! I'm so glad none of the assassinos hurted you!" Italy's high pitched voice said happily.

"Get off me, idiota!" Romano pushed off the younger Italian. "I need to talk with the Borgia."

"Oh, the pope isn't here, but Cesare is here, but I think he's leaving soon."

"I don't care I just need to talk to someone!" Romano pushed past his younger brother.

"What's wrong, Romano?" Italy followed closely.

"There's French soldiers in the city! FRENCH!" Romano shouted with irritation at his little brother's cluelessness. "The least that bastard could've done was warn us!"

"Big brother France?" Italy said a little too excitedly for Romano. He should've expected that from his northern half. His little brother always seemed to like the people Romano hated, that Holy Roman Empire, who was German! And France, who tried to take over their country since forever!

Romano knocked harshly on Cesare's office. "I'm busy," a stern voice responded.

"I don't care, I need to talk with you," the southern nation demanded.

"Fine, come in."

"Why are there French in Rome?" Romano confronted the captain general. Cesare was amused by his tough act, it's hard to take him seriously when he looked like a grumpy child.

"The assassins are a threat, they nearly killed my father," Cesare tried to reason with the nation. "Don't worry, once they serve their uses then I will get rid of them."

"I want them out as soon as possible, I can't stand France having any of his troops in my capital," Romano shuddered.

"I plan to unite all of Italy, we must be willing to make compromises at times," The general explained. "I'm assuming you want to united with your brother and become independent."

"But Spain-"

"You, as a country, have a duty to your people like no one else has, don't let your attachments to others be your downfall," Cesare said bluntly. "If you want to keep the title of a nation then you must learn do what you must. Why do you think you're growing so slowly?"

"Shut up, bastard, I know," Romano grumbled. Italy remained silent, hurt by Cesare's words.

Romano, knowing he lost the argument, left the captain general to his work. The Italians walked passed Lucrezia on their way out, "buon giorno," she spoke politely. Romano didn't say anything, Italy repeated the greeting.

"Why does that brat talk so boldly?" Lucrezia asked her brother when the countries were out of ear shot. "What makes them so special? I remember my father talking about them like they're kings."

"You don't know?" Cesare chuckled at her ignorance. "They are very important, if I plan to control all of Italy then I need both of those brats. They represent Italia itself!"

Lucrezia looked at him, more confused than before. What did he mean they represent Italy itself? And Ezio wondered the same thing as he eavesdropped from the window. Unfortunately for them both, Cesare didn't explain any more before leaving. What kind of power does these children have? The master assassin didn't know what to think, he decided to back off for now and consult with his fellow assassins.

A few hours later, Romano sat in his room beginning to regret his decision to come here, something wasn't right. "No, this is my country! I'm going to fix this on my own! That is my duty as a nation!" The little Italian stated with determination. "I'll find where those assassins are hiding myself!"

He hopped out of bed and marched as fast as his short legs can take him. "Where are you going, fratello?" A girly voice halted him.

"I'm going to save Rome."

"Ve~ that sounds fun! Can I come?" Italy pleaded.

The older Italian rolled his eyes, "fine, but don't get in my way!" Little Italy cheered. Romano was glad for their small stature, it made it so much easier to leave undetected.

* * *

><p>"A title of a nation? how can a person represent a nation?" Machiavelli didn't hide his skepticism. "For some reason I find that hard to believe."<p>

"I do too, but I know what I heard," Ezio tried to explain. "These children are important to the Borgia." He knew this information would be difficult to swallow, nonetheless every bit of knowledge they can get is valuable no matter how outrageous it sounds. "Either way, if Cesare wants something, he'll stop at nothing to obtain it."

A female assassin entered the room and bowed before Ezio, "Master, Lovino and his younger brother both left Castel Sant'Angelo alone."

"Well, this is the perfect chance to get the information we need ourselves," Machiavelli said with a small smirk.

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN: This is kind of shorter than I would usually do, but I wanted to update and I didn't have as much time to write as I usually do. I love chibi Romano so much~! Anyways, I forgot to mention this last time, but this takes place during early 1502. <strong>_

_**Review plz~! Hope you enjoy!**_

_**All character belongs to their respective owners ^J^**_

_**Translations**_

_**Grazie: thank you**_

_**Che: what**_

_**Fratello: brother**_

_**Idiota: idiot**_


	3. assassins

Romano began to get irritated, "why is this city so big?" The Italian never noticed before how many places assassins can hide in Rome. They have been walking around for a solid hour without any leads.

"Maybe we should leave this to Cesare," Italy suggested meekly.

The slightly older Italian scoffed, "I bet that bastardo just wants Grandpa's inheritance." In the end, that's what everyone wants... At least that idiota is Italian, right? Better than a Turkish, French or German boss. Oh, and a Spanish boss! Romano attempted to recall what he was going to say about Spain, there's no way he actually likes the Spaniard. Or at least he's not going to admit it any time soon.

"Bump!"

"Hey watch where you're going!" Romano yelled at the person he bumped into while he was lost in his thoughts.

"Ah, we meet again."

Romano glared at the familiar hooded figure, "Si, and again you're in my way."

"Hello! I'm Feliciano!" Italy chirped to the hooded Italian, always happy to meet new friends. "What's your name?"

"I am Ezio Auditore de Firenze," Ezio did a small bow.

"Yeah, he's just a weirdo I met on the way back to the Castel-" Romano stopped when he saw his brother trembling. "What is wrong with you?" Italy began pulling on Romano clothes attempting to say something, but fear had caught his words in his throat. "Just spit it out!" Romano was getting frustrated with his brother's strange behavior.

"Assassino!" Italy's cry was loud enough to stop a few passing by. "He's an assassin!"

Romano was stunned. "W-what?" His dark amber eyes immediately went back to Ezio, his small smile become neutral, the friendly air around him become more serious. The small Italian backed away immediately from the assassin, "guards, guards! An assassin!"

Everyone around them began to panic. The sound of armored feet of the Borgia's guards came rushing. Romano wanted to run, he felt his little brother's hand tugging him, but his legs were locked in fear. The fear of the assassins that was drilled into him when he came to Rome became apparent. After, what seemed like an eternity Ezio reached into his pocket.

"Fratello, we have to get away!" Italy's desperate call snapped Romano back to reality.

The older Italian finally found the strength to turn and run. As he did so, he heard a loud "pop!" and smoke enveloped the surrounding. A strong hand lifted Romano off the ground.

"Let go of me, bastard!" Romano struggled fruitlessly. "Veneziano!" He shouted for help.

"Fratello!" Italy searched for his brother in the smoke, but to no avail. Soon the smoke cleared and Romano nor his kidnapper was nowhere to be seen.

"Romano..."

* * *

><p>The guards thoroughly searched the area to find nothing that will lead them to Romano or to the assassins. "How did this happen!? I told both of you to never, EVER leave this place without a guard!" Cesare shouted at a cowering Italy. "From now on, you are to never leave this place again!"<p>

"Mi displace," Italy whimpered. "We were only trying to help..."

"HELP!? You and your brother only made things much harder, if they find out anything about you two then all of Italy is in danger." Italy flinched at his words. "Go to your room, I'm done with you."

"... I miss Holy Rome..." Italy mumbled.

"What was that!?"

"Nothing!" He said quickly.

Veneziano sulked in his room. He was afraid for Romano and wanted to help, but didn't want to get scolded by Cesare. They were only trying to help. Italy missed living at Holy Rome's house, at least when he got scolded by Austria, it was just for stealing food. The light in the room began to dim as the sun began to set, Italy prayed that wherever Romano was, he's alright.

* * *

><p>"Put me down, Bastard! Put me down!" Romano continued to fight in vain, his vision was blocked by a piece of cloth. "What do you want with a little kid, huh!?" He began to get motion sickness from his kidnapper's quick and unpredictable movements.<p>

Suddenly, the movements stopped and he was lowered gently to the ground. "We just wanted to ask a few questions, we won't hurt you," Ezio's voice reached Romano's ears.

"You really think I'm going to believe you after you kidnap me!?" Romano tried to take off the blindfold, only to find his hands were tried behind his back. When did the assassin did that? "You assassins are going to pay for this and all the other crimes you bastards commited!"

Another voice prieced through Romano's blindness, "You say you're Lovino Vargas and your brother is Feliciano, correct?"

Romano stiffened, "si, what about it?" Romano felt the voice getting closer.

"I did some digging into old archives and we heard those names before, in a letter we intercepted. Except that was over 15 years ago, kept only because we had know no idea whom it referred to." Romano knew the owner of the voice was directly in front of him, towering over him. "Care to explain?"

"How do you know it's not just names common in our family?" Romano internally scolded himself for letting fear into his voice. He can't let them find out the truth no matter what, they would no doubt take advantage of it.

"Either way, you're still such an important piece. Why was Lovino and Feliciano Vargas so important all those years ago and why are they so important now?"

Romano was getting antsy with all this questioning, "how should I know, d-damn it!" He hoped if he continued to feign ignorance they might give up. He felt himself being lifted off the ground. "W-what the hell are you doing!?"

"We're not fools, it's obvious you're lying."

"Are you sure you should do that?" Ezio spoke up with concern. Which wasn't a good sign.

The blindfold was allowed to fall directly to the river below, Romano stopped struggling for a moment to register the danger he was in. "F-FUCK! D-d-don't you dare fucking drop me, you bastard!" The nation had a death grip on the hand of his interrogator.

"Now tell us, how can a person represent a country?" Machiavelli asked with a smirk on his face.

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN: I thought this was a good place to leave off :3 Of course Cesare wants the Italy brothers to hate the assassins, so he told them a whole bunch of lies and such, ya know like propaganda. I'll get more into it in later chapters. I had trouble writing Machiavelli, he just seemed like a guy that would do what he thinks is best, but that's just how I see him. Thank you Luckyreader2000 and Guests for your reviews so far!<strong>_

_**Hope you enjoy and review! ^J^**_

_**Characters belong to their respective owners!**_


	4. nations?

"H-how did you-"

"We have our sources," is all that Machiavelli replied.

"Fine, I'll tell you," Romano caved. "Just don't drop me into the canal, bastard!" The politician carried Romano away from the edge and placed him safely on the roof of the building they were standing on.

With a sigh Romano started to explain his unique circumstance, "I am the personification of South Italy. I was born solely for that, don't ask me how on that part! As a personification, I represent my people and fight in their stupid wars. I don't die easily, but I still feel pain, so don't fucking dare drop me in that canal!"

"What of your brother?" Ezio questioned, he found this all difficult to believe.

"That idiota represents North Italy, the better half," Romano added the last part under his breath. "Every country has a personification. Every time a new country forms, a new personification is born. Every time a nation falls... well I'm sure you can guess what happens to the personification."

"Wait so how exactly old are you?" Machiavelli asked.

"Pretty old, I only look this young because the bastards that are my bosses aren't doing anything right, so I stay small! So I am forced to work at Spain's house most of the time and when I finally get to visit my namesake and I get kidnap by bastards who are going to use me to take down my country, so they can kill me! Why is it always me that's screwing up, stupid Veneziano is too good to ever screw up like I do. I only wanted to save Italy and finally be worth something for once, that idiota is always better than me, even Grandpa Rome liked him better!" Romano began to sniffle as tears pooled in his eyes.

The two assassins exchanged awkward glances. "We're not trying to take down Italy, we're not the bad guys here," Ezio tried to explain. "The Borgia you work for are the ones that are trying to control you."

"And why should I believe you?" Romano growled. "You just want to use me then stab me in the back later! Now that I told you who I really am, let me go!"

"Not so fast," Machiavelli held up a hand. "The Borgia would have a clear advantage over us if they have you. And you seem pretty ignorant about what's going here, we could tell you more of our cause."

Romano was insulted to be considered ignorant of his own country, but this guy was right. Everything the nation heard about the assassins came from Cesare. Even if he disagreed, it didn't seem like he was given much of a choice. Romano huffed, "fine, I'll go with you guys, but don't think I'm just going to join your cause!"

* * *

><p>"Why are we just walking around? Aren't you supposed to tell me why I should even consider helping you?" Romano glared at Ezio. Although he was thankful that the other Assassin who he now know as Niccolo Machiavelli had other business to attend to.<p>

"Are you ignorant to the poor in this city, Lovino?" Ezio asked suddenly.

"N-no, of course not! I know my people are struggling, but..." Romano's cheek were tinted red with shame. "There's nothing I could do. I had hoped the Captain General would help change that..."

"I think I know a way that may help the people of Rome," the assassin smiled reassuringly.

"And what is that?"

"Look at the all the shops around here and tell me what do you see?"

The shops around them were boarded up and unused. "they're all closed," he stated the obvious. "Why is that so important?" The nation's patience was wearing thin.

"Well, what is a way to combat poverty?" Romano just glared in response to the master assassin's annoying questions. Ezio decided to get to the point, "jobs. If more shops were opened then there would be more jobs available for the people and money for Rome."

"Si, so why aren't they opened if there were people to fulfill the jobs?"

"Because of that." He pointed to a tower with Borgia flags that stood above the surrounding buildings. "The Borgia forbids anyone from renovating the shops near the core of an area where their influence runs strong."

"That's stupid, I'll have to talk to Cesare about this. That bastardo can't do anything right," Romano scowled.

"Has he ever listened to you before?"

"Of course-" Romano stopped. He never really paid attention before how little he had a say in his own country. Everything came down to what the Borgia wanted. "No he hasn't, he always brushed off anything me or my brother said. But I'm the embodiment of a nation, not a leader."

Ezio raised an eyebrow, "is it the duty for a nation to kneel before their boss without question? If that's the case then I can't help but pity you."

The young nation couldn't think of an retort. What is a country's duty? he didn't know for sure, he always thought that the point of having a boss was because they knew how to best help the country. He had another country ruling over him, so he didn't need to worry about obeying a boss or his people until now. Spain sometimes went against his boss when Romano was at stake, but he couldn't really grasp why.

* * *

><p>Italy wandered about the Castel, the guards still haven't found any sign of Romano. Also Cesare made sure he didn't get any dinner the night before or breakfast this morning. "This sucks, fratello better be okay and come back soon."<p>

"I must check up on my army. I have no time to dally here." Cesare's angry voice came from one of the rooms, Italy paused to listen. "I want you to make sure that South Italy is no longer in the hands of our enemy, use whatever means you can. Kill him if you have to, I don't care as long as they don't have him."

A voice Italy didn't recognized responded, "as you wish, captain general."

The door suddenly opened with force. Italy jumped back in surprised. "What are you doing?" Cesare glared down at the boy.

"I-I w-w-was J-just-" before Italy could finish, Cesare turned his back and continued down the hall with an annoyed scoff. Italy peeked in the room to find it empty and the window opened. "What if whoever Cesare was talking to hurts Romano?" Italy began to panic. Maybe he can find Romano before that guy can, but first he needed to get out of this place, the guards will keep a better a lookout after what happened last time.

Italy looked out the window to see Cesare riding out on his favorite horse. At least Cesare won't be there to keep watch over him.

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN: Another chapter~! I hope you guys enjoy and review if you have any comments or suggestions! Thanks for the reviews, favs and follows so far!<strong>_

_**All characters belong to their respective owners!**_


	5. Truth

Romano had to admit he was happy to be away from the guards and rules at the Castel. He was also surprised how quickly the guards fled from the area once the Borgia's flags were purged from the tower. Obviously, he was a fool to put any trust in them. The nation couldn't admit he was moved when Ezio used his own money to renovate the shops nearby.

"Do you still hold any doubts to my abilities, Lovino?"

Before Romano can come up with a snide comment, a few masculine voices came from a distance cursing in Italian. As the two came close to the source they were able to make out what the voices were saying.

"Put down the sword, stupida ragazza and come with us. We promise not to hurt you too much." A guard ordered.

"You have to take me by force, Borgia's dogs." The girl stood alone surrounded by four guards. Ezio immediately leapt into action, stabbing a blade from his wrist into the neck of one the guards. While one was distracted by the sudden death of his ally he was stabbed by the girl. While the two fought Romano froze where he stood, these guards maybe "bad guys" to Ezio, but they were still his people.

"Grazie, signore." The women did a small bow. "I won't forget this."

Ezio placed an hand on her shoulder. "The liberation of Roma has begun, we need everyone we can get."

The women nodded quickly. "I will do what I can to help." Ezio whispered something in her ear before she nodded again and strode off in a specific direction.

Romano couldn't take his gaze off the bodies of the fallen soldiers. They were his people, yet he let them die. "We need to get out of here before more guards show up." The nation murmured an agreement then followed the assassin.

After a few moments walking in silence Ezio spoke up. "The people are displeased with the Borgia, but when they speak out, they are arrested and killed."

"She must've broke the law somehow." The nation attempted to reason. "Either way, I cannot condone the killing of any of my people."

Ezio sighed. "I do not enjoy killing. But as you've seen those soldiers are suppressing the people, your people. When they see the Borgia's towers go up in flames, then they see a chance to stand up against the Boriga's corruption."

The assassin lend a comforting hand on the nation's shoulder. "I lost my fair share of loved ones to the corruption and greed in Pope's inner circle, Lovino."

Romano remained silent for a moment before he suddenly scoffed lightly, keeping his gaze at his feet. "Don't call me Lovino, that's just an alias. Most people close to me get to call me Romano." A small smile formed under the assassin's cowl.

* * *

><p>Italy covered his small body with Romano's dark green cloak the older nation used when he came to Rome. He had waited to make sure to attempt his escape when the guards were switching posts. Italy couldn't keep himself from trembling, he was naturally a cowardly nation and he didn't want to think what they will do to punish him if he's caught.<p>

maybe this wasn't the best idea... No! he needed to make sure his brother is safe.

he crept through the darkening halls, careful to not run into anyone. His feet made nearly imperceptible noises when they touched the floor that made Italy flinched slightly. The guards at the only entrance, and exit, of the Castel stood at attention, now all Italy had to do was wait until it was time to change shifts and hope there was an opening for him to escape.

Meanwhile, he needs to make sure he doesn't lose his courage and run back to his room.

"Isn't the night guards supposed to be here to relieve us of our duty?" One guard growled. The others agreed with curt nods, they were quickly losing patience.

"Our shift is up, whether or not they decide to arrive is their problem." Another finally said before relaxing his position and striding off, followed soon by the others.

As soon as the entrance was clear, Italy took his chance. He quickly blended in with the cardinals walking on the bridge. Italy breath a sigh of relief, Romano was going to be so proud of him! If he's still okay, that is...

That last thought pushed the little Italian into a run.

* * *

><p>Much to his annoyance, Romano once again had to be blindfolded while Ezio took them to their hideout as to not give away to their location. The master assassin might trust the nation, but there was always the risk Romano might change his mind about aiding them. "Are we almost there yet?" Romano snapped, tired of being carried like a child.<p>

"Si." Romano heard a door opened and shut. His blindfold was removed. "My brothers and sisters will be glad to know you're on our side."

The nation grumbled something about "not having much of a choice." Romano was actually surprised that the assassin's hideout was actually in such good shape, he expected something more... barbaric. Two men and one female greeted them, all three bowing respectfully towards Ezio, the female was the one the master assassin had rescued earlier in clothes more appropriate for an assassin.

"Saluti maestro." The taller male greeted. "Machiavelli has been awaiting your return."

"I suppose I shouldn't keep him waiting any longer. Grazie." Ezio dismissed his recruits.

Machiavelli was gazing into a brazier, lost in his scholarly mind when approaching footsteps caught his attention. "Ezio." His eyes fell upon the small figure following him closely. "And I see you brought your little... nation." The doubt in his face clear as day.

"Che? What do you want to prove I'm South Italy, bastardo?" Romano questioned harshly.

"For someone who is as old as you claim to be, you seem very childish." The politician replied coolly.

Red tinted the nation's face. "At least I don't threaten to drop children in canals! Especially when that child is your country!"

"Well, you're not exactly a child, are you?" Machiavelli retorted. "Unless you're actually just an ordinary child?"

The master assassin sighed, this wasn't exactly how he planned for this meeting to go.

* * *

><p>Night descended upon Rome and Italy was started to get nervous, maybe he should've thought this through before running off again since last time it didn't work so well. The Italian was walking past an alley when a hand grabbed him, any scream that would've escaped his mouth was silenced by a petite hand.<p>

A feminine voice shushed him. "Please don't scream, my name is Bianca." she turned the Italian around to face her, he could some of her soft features in the dimming light and her curly, dark hair as she kneeled to his level. "You're Feliciano, Lovino's brother, yes?"

Italy nodded hesitantly, less terrified now that he knew his attacker was a pretty lady. "Do you know where my fratello is? Is he okay?"

"Si, he's alright. I could take you to him." Italy nodded eagerly at the offer, he decided he like this lady, she was much better than the one named Ezio. She smiled at him. "Okay, follow me-"

"Bianca?" Italy tilted his head, puzzled by her abrupt look of shock. Blood began to drip from the corner of her mouth. "B-Bianca?" She was shoved roughly away and Italy saw a crimson-soaked blade unsheathe itself from her back.

Another hooded figure seemed to give her a look of disdain, the blade retracted into his wrist. His clothes was different from the other assassins Italy has seen, his gray hood was connected to a cloak. "That was a close one." His gaze fell on Italy. "We can't have both of you fall into the assassin's hands, can we?"

It was the same voice talking to Cesare from earlier. Italy managed a step back, he never been so terrified in his life. One of his people was killed right in front of him! Before Italy could get the courage to run, he was grabbed roughly by the man. "There was another, I'm sure he's on his way to his friends. You'll make perfect bait."

* * *

><p><strong><em>An: HA! I haven't died yet! Anyways, I decided to update finally ^~^ I noticed I made a few mistakes in the past chapters, so I should go and fix them one day. I kind of left off at a cliffhanger, cuz that's just how I do. Also the bad guy is not an OC, I guess he doesn't really belong here at this time, but this is AU! so yeah... whatever. If you hadn't figured out, I'm making this up as I go.<em>**

**_And disregard me saying this takes place in 1502 or whatever, after much thought I might ending up diverging so far from Brotherhood that it wouldn't even make sense according to the storyline. Oh, also I know Ezio hardly says anything when he firsts recruits an assassin, I just thought he should like ya know, tell them where to apply to assassin positions or something. All assassin recruits are named after the recruits I got when I played brotherhood by the way. I'm not a fan of OCs, they're usually a deal breaker for me when reading stories unless they're absolutely necessary. _**

**_Translations:_**

**_stupida ragazza: stupid girl_**

**_signore: mister_**

**_Saluti maestro: greetings master_**

**_I'm too lazy to do the translations I already did the past chapters, all of these I got from google translate._**

**_Hetalia and Assassin's Creed belong to their respective owners._**

**_Thank you all so much for the reviews, favs and follows, I love you all! _**


	6. Stranger

Romano sat in a chair, glaring at any assassins that happened to walk past. Ezio had informed him of two assassins he sent to watch out for Italy. The nation was certain the assassin had an ulterior motive, most likely to snatch his little brother as well. "You just want to drag my stupid brother into this!" Romano had snapped when he heard.

"He was already involved." Machiavelli had reminded the little nation.

"This is for his own safety." Ezio attempted to assure Southern Italy.

Romano didn't believe the assassin, he should've known better than to think for a moment they wanted to help. Anything that came out of their stupid mouths were just lies. "Bullshit, you're going to get him hurt!" He had shouted. Whatever trust he had in this order collapsed into dust when he thought what Cesare might to do to Italy if he found out the situation Romano was in. Especially if the captain general thought the nation was cooperating.

Now the nation was forced to wait here, for what, Romano wasn't sure. He had refused to listen to any more of whatever the assassins spat out. The other assassins occasionally gazed his way with curiosity and he heard, much to his frustration, two of the girls talking about how cute he was. Sure they were pretty, but this wasn't the time to think about girls. At least, that jerk Machiavelli had left. He noted that most of these assassins wore white and scarlet much like Ezio, but there were a few with plainer white clothing.

Romano resolved to scope out the lair of these assassin order while Ezio continued on with his plans, however found little particularly helpful. He found the room where Ezio kept all of his weapons, sharp blades and daggers terrified the nation, so he kept his distance from the glinting steel. A box in the room caught his eye. It sat innocently on a desk a depiction of a feather carved into the front. Romano casually walked up to it, hoping to find some sort of poorly hidden secret. Instead there were only feathers, which in hindsight wasn't much of a surprise. _What kind of assassino keeps a box full of feathers?_

Wanting to get escape the deadly weapons, Romano wandered into another room, filled with paintings. He've seen every one of them before, some he was present when they were painted. It was mostly his brother with talent, but the Renaissance also affected South Italy as well much to Romano's joy. Yet he grew bored of staring at the paintings and continued his scouting.

He stumbled upon the armor room. Romano noticed the armor was of less quality Ezio wore now, he concluded this was were the master assassin stored his weak armor when he gets something more suited for his job. A few odd models of inventions stood on decorated tables. They seemed like war machines to the nations and made a note to ask Ezio about them.

"Ciao!" Romano looked away from the models to a blond girl wearing the plain white smiling at him. It was the same woman Ezio helped when he burned the Borgia's flags. "I've seen you earlier, no? What is a kid doing here?"

The nation sighed internally. _Che, __Why do people always talk to me like I'm a child? _Before he could tell her he was a nation, an assassin wearing the plain white too spoke. "Weren't you paying attention? This is Lovino, Maestro Auditore is keeping him safe from the Borgia."

_'Lovino'? _If he used Romano's alias then Ezio haven't told them about personified nations. "Mi dispiace, I didn't know." She said to Romano. "I hope I didn't make you upset."

Romano was taken by surprise that someone he saw killed a few guards a few hours ago is now feeling remorse of the possibility of upsetting a stranger. "No worries, bella." The nation felt a bit flustered. "You know my name, what is yours?"

"Laura Boccanera." She beamed, patting his head which made him blush. "This is Vittorio Vitelli." Her other hand fluttered towards the man. Vittorio watched the nation curiously which didn't shock Romano, as far as they know, he just a kid in the lair of an assassin order.

Laura's touch was comforting, it reminded him of Belgium. Now the nation was feeling homesick. Romano always written a letter to Spain every morning to let that bastard know he was okay, and safe from France. Although it would've taken a while for Spain to get it since he was so far away, that idiot made him promise. He wondered if Spain was going to be worried now that the letters have stopped. _Hopefully that bastardo will come and get me away from all this crap! _

"What's this?" Laura tugged on the curl in Romano's dark brown hair.

"DON'T TOUCH THERE!" Romano's face was a deep red as he pulled away. He turned his back towards them in embarrassment, in shock that a girl just touched there. It was bad enough Spain had to pull it, now a girl he just met.

Vittorio broke out in laughter while Laura merely stood there in confusion. "His face looks like a tomato!" He managed to say through his mirth.

"Shut up!" He growled and stomped out of the room. Deciding to stay by the master assassin where he knew the others weren't going to annoy him.

Ezio was busy directing his assassins to missions across Europe. Romano tried to be sneaky and listen in on his plans, but the master assassin just invited him to sit like he had nothing to hide. The nation hesitated at first then walked over and sat at the table watching him read messages from his contacts and gave his responses over to an assassin Romano came to know as Ciro, whom wore the plainer cloth, to send off on the wings of a pigeon. It was fairly dull.

Until the door slammed opened and another assassin came running in, out of breath with a weight in his arms. Ezio looked away from his plans, obviously surprised by the abrupt entrance of one of his students. The new assassin had ran as fast as he could judging by the way he was trying to catch to breath to talk. He stood from his seat hoping to hear any news at all. All the other assassins gathered, yet kept their distance. Laura and Vittorio stood among them both wore serious expressions.

The weight he carried, Romano realized, was a woman, an assassin as well clothed in red and white. Romano saw a crimson splotch on her back that dripped sluggishly towards the stone below.

"I was supposed to watch her back." The assassin kept his gaze on her body, regret plain in his voice. "Somehow he slipped pass me. He threw her body at my feet and took the child."

Ezio placed a calming hand on his shoulder. "We'll will give her a proper farewell, Bastiano." He said in a soothing voice. "Did her killer say anything to you? Can you describe what he looks like?"

"One of Cesare's agents." He locked his eyes with his master. "He wore a grey cloak, a hood covered his face. He moved like an assassin and had a blade on his left hand like a wolf's fang." Bastiano turned a cold gaze to Romano that made the nation felt guilty. "He said he'll be waiting for the boy at the Colosseo every night for a week after that..."

Romano knew something would go horribly wrong, He wanted to offer some comfort for one of his people, but his main concern was for Veneziano. He just stared at the lifelessly body he held in his arms. He noted her curly hair, her fair face, and the dried blood on the corner of her mouth. He never knew her, yet he felt pity that now he never will.

Ezio spoke to every one of his students in the room, his voice solemn. "Take Bianca, say your goodbyes, then we'll put her to rest." Bastiano nodded taking his friend away, the other members of the order followed until only Ezio and Romano remained.

"I want to go with you to get my stupid fratello from that stronzo." The nation tried to sound confident. Inside, he was scared for Veneziano and himself. This stranger had no problem killing an assassin and taunting another to get to the master and the nation. If Romano was taught to fear this order then how should he feel about the wolf that devoured them?

"This assassin-killer wanted to anger us into doing something stupid." Ezio sighed, returning to his map, staring at it in deep thought. "He knows we aren't just going to hand you over nor will we just sit here doing nothing."

"But we _are _going to rescue Veneziano, right?" Romano wasn't sure where he was trying to say. "That bastardo will hurt him if we don't."

Ezio remained silent for a moment, heightening the nation's anxiety. "Si, we will rescue him, but first we have to know more about this stranger."

Romano scoffed. "Like hell! We can't wait until we have more information. Didn't you hear what he said? We only have a week! We have to save him now!"

The master assassin didn't react. Only scribbling words on a piece of parchment. "Machiavelli, Volpe or my sister must have something on him."

Romano's eyes shone with unshed tears. _Was this bastardo ignoring him? _The small nation was determined not to appear weak and forced back the tears. He tugged as hard as he could on Ezio's white clothes. "I will save my brother with or without you." Romano did his best to keep the tremor out of his voice, to appear strong like Grandpa Rome would've done.

Ezio looked down on his nation, regret and conflict swam in his weary eyes. He knelt down to Romano's height, surprising the nation. "You've said it yourself, personifications can't die, si?" Romano nodded slowly. "But my fellow assassins _can._ Bianca was no amateur neither was Bastiano, both were full-fledged assassins. Yet this agent had no issue getting pass without his noticing and silencing another. We will rescue Italia, but I will not lead my brothers and sisters to their death without any knowledge."

The nation may look like a child, but he was centuries beyond Ezio, he understood what he was saying. It was painful for him to agree, to know he was here while his brother was somewhere in the clutches of a remorseless murderer. "Fine, we'll get information." Romano resigned. _For now._

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><p>Itali didn't know where he was, A cloth bag cover his head and he whimpered. "W-where am I-I?" He stammered as tears ran down his chubby face. He heard footsteps, they were light on stone and so close. Italy began trembling.<p>

"Feliciano, correct?" The voice held a smooth, Italian accent. Obviously one of his citizen, but why would one want to hurt him? Italy managed a feeble nod. "Do you know where Lovino is?"

"He'll come for me and hurt you if you hurt me!" Veneziano had no idea where this burst of courage came from. He went with his impulse. "If not him, then big brother France or Holy Rome!"

The footsteps paused then Veneziano realized he has used the names of countries instead of their aliases. _Damn it, I'm so stupid. _A laugh of amusement echoed curiously wherever they were at. "W-why are y-you laughing?" The fire of bravery died in the little nation's chest.

"Do you really think France or the Holy Roman Empire would send their armies after you?" The stranger chuckled and the footsteps continued to pace back and forth. "You're a cute kid."

Italy felt relief this guy didn't consider the possibility of personified nations, only mistook Veneciano for a kid trying to act tough. Well he was actually just a nation trying to act tough. Italy remembered the pretty girl trying to save him. This man had to have some skill to sneak up on her and her friend. He recalled the shocked face of the man when his kidnapper callously threw the girl's body to him.

"A-a-are y-you an a-assassino?" He didn't wore the white and red clothing he've seen the other assassins wore and he killed one of them!

"Not an assassin like them." Thats all he said.

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><p><strong><em>AN: I'm sooooooooo sorry I haven't updated in a while. I've just lost touch with assassins and nations! I've actually completely forgotten what I had planned for this story, so I'm just making it up as I go. I mean I was already doing something like that before, but I had an outline in my head. Should've wrote it down. Anyways Thank you to everyone who followed, favorited andor reviewed! You're the ones that brought me back to this story!_**

**_Every character belongs to their respective franchises!_**


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